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>> Wednesday, December 25, 2013

People have been very surprised when they found out that for the 12 years I've lived in Australia, this year is actually the first time that I would be spending Christmas and New Years here. I'm surprised myself too that it's taken me this long to see Santa in the heat of summer!

In the past, I'd likely have been traveling somewhere up the northern hemisphere visiting my parents during this festive and joyous season. As I scheduled my travels ahead this year (and as as much as I miss the winter hot chocolates and the often ugly holiday sweaters), I've been quite excited about spending summertime here.

No heavy winter coats, no dodging left and right from the winter flu and no darkening skies in the afternoon. Just looong summer days in my t-shirts and sandals.

One small highlight for me has been the array the fruits that December offers in Australia...fragrant mangoes, plump cherries, juicy dribble-down-your-chin white peaches, and nectarines...oh, the list goes on!

Did I tell you I've been purchasing frozen mangoes over the past winter just to snack on?

Needless to say, when we purchased a whole tray of fresh mangoes last week, I was giddy like a child!

Recipes after recipes bubbled up in my head as I pondered long and hard what to make with the mangoes apart from eating them as they are - the criss-crossed cheek method.

This is not the type of cheesecake I usually make - which is baked and has a super light and fluffy texture (and which also to my surprise is the most popular recipe on this blog!)

This mango cheesecake is raw and dense - set with gelatine leaves and at the base it has a layer of digestive cookies followed by a layer of cream cheese mixed with mango puree, and finally topped with layer of mango slices covered in mango puree jelly! Oh and decorated with more fresh mangoes!

The result is a mango-filled cheesecake for the hot summer days. And the best thing is that it requires no baking (just some patience when the cake sets in the fridge!).

Each mouthful is smooth and creamy set against the juicy sweet mangoes. And with a slight tang/tartness from the yogurt too!

Today is Christmas (at the time of posting) so I hope you are all having a wonderful and joyous Christmas whatever your circumstances may be currently.

Over the years I've noticed that it isn't about receiving gifts that makes Christmas so meaningful. It's giving them and watching the look of surprise on people's face as they unwrap the presents. Without any words, you feel closer to one another.

This reminds me of God who held nothing back from us by sending the only Gift that could bridge the gap between us and Him - the best Gift of all, and the Gift we needed most...the Savior Jesus and His message of grace.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift" - 2 Corinthians 9:15

I'm feeling a great surge of gratitude this Christmas. I pray you are too!

Wishing you His joy today and always :)

Mango Cheesecake
6 inch cake

Base

100g digestive cookies

50g melted unsalted butter

Mango cream cheese:

200g pureed mango

200g cream cheese, at room temperature

120ml pouring cream

2 tablespoons milk

10g sheets of leaf gelatine (around 3-4 sheets)

50g greek or plain yogurt

juice of half a lemon

Mango jelly

150g pureed mango (I used a stick blender to puree)

2 mangoes (1 to place in the gelatine layer and 1 to decorate with on top of cake)

50ml water

10g sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

5g sheets of leaf gelatine (~2 sheets)

1. Process the biscuits until they are like crumbs, then add the butter and pulse again. Line the bottom of a 6 inch/15cm tin with a removable base (or a springform tin), pressing the biscuits in with your hands or the back of your spoon. Put the tin in the fridge to set.

2. Submerge the 10g gelatine leaves in a dish of cold water and leave to soak and soften for 5 minutes.

3. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth and add in the sugar, cream and milk and mix until combined and smooth.

4. Transfer the cream cheese mixture into a small pot and place on the stove over low gas and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Take the gelatine leaves out of the water, give them a good squeeze to get rid of excess water, and stir one by one into the cream cheese mixture (they will dissolve instantly). Leave to cool for a few minutes.

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comments:

Merry Christmas! Can't imagine having Christmas during summertime, but I'm sure if I somehow ended up in the southern hemisphere right now, it would just all make sense. So jealous of the fresh mangoes!

This looks so incredibly indulgent and refreshing at the same time! I wish I had a slice in front of me right now haha! I too have felt an incredible surge of gratitude in my heart this Christmas...it is incredible and humbling how God watches out for us and cares for us, whether or not circumstances look how we expected them to. He is just the best caretaker and my heart is full with blessings...I pray you are really blessed this coming year too Viv!

Thanks for the gracious Christmas reminder :) What a truly blessed holiday season it has been. And what a beautiful, refreshing cheesecake this is. I'm a fan of both types—dense and fluffy. You can never go wrong with mangoes! Happy New Year!

Hi Kenna,I love agar agar too! But personally I have not made cheesecake using agar agar before - the texture would be quite different but I don't see why you cant try and experiment? You will need to look up how much you need to put proportion-wise.

Some googling takes me to this site:http://flavorsandcolorsbyaparna.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/no-bake-mango-cheesecake-eggless-using.html

I thought I posted something yesterday but it's not here. Sorry if I'm doubling up. Is there sugar missing from the ingredient list for the mango cream cheese? I added 1/2 cup to mine (which is setting in the fridge now). Hope it turns out OK! What a nice way to share your love of Jesus, using gorgeous recipes. Love your blog.Sue

And you are right, i am missing the ingredietn for sugar in my recipe! Was 1/2 cup sugar enough sweetness to the cake? Thanks so much for letting me know. I will have to fix it up next time I make it again - cant remb how much sugar i put in it!

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I have to admit that even though i have been baking and eating a lot, i have never seen or baked this kind of a cake. I never thought that there could be a cake made of mango and cheese. This is such a nice and great post, which i have to bookmark. I need more recipes to bake more unique cakes. Self Adhesive PVC Wallpapers

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